While there may be a rare moment of bliss in VikingLand today, Minnesota’s 34-27 comeback win over the Redskins Thursday night is causing consternation in Washington, and some head-scratching around the league.
Let’s start with the regular Associated Press story, which is headlined “Redskins can’t hold lead against lowly Vikings.”
“Lowly”? That hurts, man.
In Washington, the Post counts the game as “a colossal collapse.”
Another Associated Press story notes, “After losing three games this year in the final minute, the Vikings finally pulled one out.”
ESPN says the Vikings showed resilience.
The Redskins page on ESPN says “now the Redskins (3-6) can forget the playoffs. Yes, they’re still alive mathematically, and yes, they must continue to believe they can do something. But they’ve yet to show that they can string together two good games, let alone seven.”
Yahoo! Sports says the Redskins “can’t handle the pressure down the stretch,” and that coach Leslie Frazier “decided to go for broke. At 1-7, why not? He called for the dogs to be sent on almost every defensive play, with five or more rushers every time Griffin dropped back to pass.”
Another Yahoo! report notes “Defensive tackle Kevin Williams, at age 33, is far from done. Williams had 2 1/2 of the Vikings’ four sacks Thursday, his first multi-sack game since 2009. He criticized the team’s play-calling last week, then took matters into his own hands Thursday.”
NBC’s Pro Football Talk says the Redskins “lose their cool at inopportune times.”
Another PFT talks about Frazier’s controversial decision to call time outs late in the game because his players were “gassed.” “It wasn’t a big deal because it worked. If his defense didn’t make the stops, it would be one more log on the fire which is smoldering under the chair Frazier sits in.”
Block that metaphor!
An NFL Nation/ESPN page for the Redskins gets inside the Washington locker room, and finds Santana Moss in a bad mood. “Sucks,” he said. “I don’t have much to say.”
Closer to home, the Star Tribune gives “game balls” to Kevin Williams, John Carlson and Christian Ponder.
WCCO grades the Vikings in all aspects, including an “A” for the offense, and a “B+” for the quarterbacks. When was the last time that happened?
And then there’s Jim Souhan at the Star Tribune, master of the buzzkill: “For the second time in three seasons, the Vikings staged a comeback to beat Washington, earning a victory that damaged their draft position,” opines the columnist. “Someday, the Vikings may regret this. Thursday night, just like Christmas Eve 2011, the Vikings ignored what might be best for the franchise and won in impressive fashion.”
